Hot wash for plastic recovery

GROSSBOTTWAR, Germany – German-Austrian company Lindner Washtech has developed a three-stage hot-wash system to improve the quality of recylates.

The modular Lindner hot-wash system has three stages and does not require any additional conveyors.

In the first stage, the shredded and pre-washed plastics are fed into a reactor, mixed with hot water and washed. Mixing arms apply concentrated friction to the material.

The double discharge screw conveyor then feeds the plastics into the new hot-wash rafter. This is a new and improved version of the already successful rafter pre-washer, in which continuous friction is applied to the material to remove and separate residues effectively and gently.

In the third and final stage, the Twister friction washer, a machine specifically designed for this application, removes the hot water or the hot caustic solution. The liquid is then separately treated.

The system can also be operated with caustic solution to remove fat and oil residues, as well as glue. The downstream water treatment system continuously monitors the water’s alkaline content and automatically applies the necessary chemicals.

“When developing the new components, we focused on effective cleaning and continuous processing so that all preceding and subsequent equipment can be operated productively at all times,” said managing director of Lindner Washtech, Harald Hoffmann.

“That is why we based this solution on our tried-and-tested technology, combined it with the advantages of hot washing and deliberately left out the otherwise common, but often vulnerable, batch processing.”